Danica Patrick: Bumping and Grinding at Daytona

It is a windy day in Daytona as Danica Patrick makes her foray into stock car racing with hopes she won't get blown away.  She will start twelfth in the ARCA series race, but where will she finish?

ARCA races at Daytona are notoriously full of wrecks and foolish moves.  Danica has been told it could be a "crashfest."  ARCA drivers have been told to basically put their best foot forward because this is the most scrutinized race yet for the ARCA series.

There are five other young women in the race besides Danica.  Alli Owens from Daytona has proven she is tough and capable of strong runs.  The boys and the girls are about to be turned loose to play with heavy toys on high banks at fast speeds.  Will they play well together?

Danica really does not know what to expect since she has not driven a car with fenders in competitive racing.  She has not felt the bumping and turbulence of close racing and the fender banging.

There is no doubt there will be the grinding of sheet metal, after all it is Daytona.  Danica is in this race to get seat time and prepare for racing in the NATIONWIDE series. She needs to just stay out of trouble and hang in the race for as long as possible. 

It is crucial she doesn't make foolish moves or create any havoc.  It is important she establishes her credibility and finishes well.

The yellow line is her road map for this race and in practice she sticks very closely to it.  If it would magnetically hold her steady for the entire race she would be comfortable, but that is not to be.

Lap 7 of the race wreaks havoc and takes out nearly a fifth of the field, but fortunately for Danica the accident was behind her.  The banging and crashing begins, but she remains steady and pleased with the handling of her car.

Caution laps and single file racing gave Danica the opportunity to settle down in her car and give meaningful feedback to Tony Eury Jr. While parked on the back stretch under red flag conditions she had time to ask questions to her crew chief as to what to turn off.  When she asked about turning off her radio, Eury Jr. calmly told her "No."

The media darling appeared somewhat bored as she sat out the red flag.  She wanted to know how long it would last and obviously wanted to get back to the racing part of the deal.

Bumping became Danica's reality when three quarters through the race Nelson Piquet shut her off and she took a wild ride with a spin and trip through the grass.  She handled the car masterfully under the guidance of her spotters and Eury Jr.

It looked as though she would be relegated to running alone behind the pack, but fiery Danica came back strong and racy.  She appeared unafraid to run high and get in the mix proving she was there to race.

Wearing the blazing orange #7 on the side of her car she crossed the finish line with a sixth place finish.  Danica had survived and shown those who doubted that she was ready to race stock cars.

After the race she was happy and said she had "fun."  Tony Eury Jr. told her she had "done good."

It looks like Danica is here to race stock cars and just maybe the decision will be made to run the NATIONWIDE race at Daytona.

Congratulations Danica........job well done.